U.S. State Department Syrian Ceasefire Hotline Is Staffed With Operators Who Cannot Speak Arabic

Internet and phone access was cut as fierce fighting was reported in Damascus (AFP: Pierre Torres, file photo)

The Independent: Syria civil war: Staff manning US ceasefire hotline ‘can’t speak Arabic’

State Department officials admit that volunteers fielding incoming phone calls had not all been ‘properly vetted’

It is the last thing the victim of an air strike needs to hear on phoning an official hotline to report an attack – someone on the end of the line who doesn’t speak their language.

But the US State Department has admitted that its round-the-clock hotline service for Syrians to report violations of the recent ceasefire needs improvement, following reports that the volunteers manning the phones were unable to understand the Arabic speakers who called in.

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Update #1: The US State Department's Syria Hotline Staff May Not Speak Arabic — or Answer the Phone (VICE News).
Update #2: Some staffers at Syria truce hotline don't speak Arabic, State Department reports (FOX News/AP)

WNU Editor: More evidence that the U.S. does not have any idea on what is happening on the ground in Syria.